This invention is directed toward prevention of the movement of mud on the bottom of a body of water such as a river. More particularly, this invention is directed toward an apparatus useful for preventing mud or silt from entering the area where a ship is tied to a pier, or some other similar structure. Such an area may be referred to as a wet basin. The apparatus, in addition to preventing the flow of mud or silt, provides for the containment of a pollution spill within the wet basin. One example of a pollution spill is the accidental discharge of fuel oil while the ship is tied to the pier.
Many inventions are directed toward the removal of mud or silt from the wet basin once the foregoing material has entered the wet basin. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,253 discloses a floating earthmoving apparatus; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,629,963 discloses an apparatus for leveling underwater ground by means of an underwater bulldozer. However, operation of these devices is expensive, time consuming, and cannot be carried out when the ship is tied to the pier. Often the ship is tied to the pier for a considerable time because many major repairs or modifications can be made without having the ship in drydock.
The foregoing problems are overcome by present invention which is a combination silt and pollution spill barrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,738 discloses a floating boom which forms a barrier on the surface of a liquid. U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,983 discloses a series of air-retaining structural units connected together in a complete loop so that it will float while surrounding a vessel. U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,376 discloses a fence for enclosing impurities floating on water. However, the foregoing patents are silent as to the problem of preventing silt from building up on the bottom of a wet basin.